July 8, 2017

240 years ago
1777

Society
Vermont became the first American colony to abolish slavery.

220 years ago
1797

Scandal
William Blount of Tennessee was effectively expelled from the United States Senate, the day after the House of Representatives had voted 41-30 in favour of impeachment hearings regarding his involvement in a conspiracy with Great Britain to seize Spanish-controlled Louisiana in hopes of boosting western land prices.

160 years ago
1857

Born on this date
Alfred Binet. French psychologist. Mr. Binet, born Alfredo Binetti, obtained a law degree and worked as a physiologist before becoming a researcher at the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology at the Sorbonne, eventually serving as its director. He invented the first practial intelligence quotient test--the Binet–Simon test--in 1904, in response to a request from the French Ministry of Education. Mr. Binet revised his test in 1908 and 1911, shortly before his death from a stroke on October 18, 1911 at the age of 54.

150 years ago
1867

Journalism
Le Moniteur Acadien, the first French-language newspaper in the Maritimes, was first published in Moncton, New Brunswick.

125 years ago
1892

Disasters
At about 4:45 P.M. in Timothy O'Brien's stable at Freshwater Road at the top of Carter's Hill in St. John's, Newfoundland, Thomas Fitzpatrick stumbled and dropped his pipe, lighting some hay; the stable was soon alight, starting a two-day fire that destroyed the east end of the city, including much of its major commercial area. The fire was fanned by a hard wind from the west, which blew sparks onto neighbouring shingle roofs, tinder dry after a month of no rain. Work was being done on the water mains, and water pressure was not fully restored until late the next day. Over 10,000 were left homeless as almost 60% of the city was destroyed.

100 years ago
1917

Born on this date
Faye Emerson. U.S. actress. Miss Emerson appeared in a number of movies in the 1940s, including The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) and Nobody Lives Forever (1946). She went on to greater success in television, hosting her own show (The Faye Emerson Show (1950-1951) and appearing as a panelist on the game shows Masquerade Party (1957-1960) and I've Got a Secret (1952-1963). During this period, Miss Emerson was known as "the best-dressed woman on TV." She acted in a number of stage productions during the 1950s, including Back to Methuselah on Broadway in 1958, where she was paired with Tyrone Power. From the 1960s on, Miss Emerson spent most of her time living and travelling in Europe. She died at the age of 65 on March 9, 1983.

Died on this date
Tom Thomson, 39. Canadian artist. Mr. Thomson, a native of Claremont, Ontario, was a landscape painter who greatly influenced the Group of Seven, although he died before the group was formed. Less than a month before his 40th birthday, Mr. Thomson disappeared on or about this date in Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park, Ontario; his body was discovered in the lake eight days later and a verdict of death by drowning was rendered, although conspiracy theories abound.

90 years ago
1927

Disasters
40 tornadoes were reported in central Alberta from July 7-8, including one which devastated Rocky Mountain House.

80 years ago
1937

Diplomacy
Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan signed the Treaty of Saadabad at Saadabad Palace in Tehran.

Transportation
The Imperial Airways flying boat Caledonia arrived in Montréal from Southampton, England, inaugurating the new transatlantic air service connecting with Trans-Canada Airways.

75 years ago
1942

Died on this date
Refik Saydam, 60. Prime Minister of Turkey, 1939-1942. Mr. Saydam, a member of the Republican People's Party (CHP), held several cabinet posts before becoming Prime Minister. He died in office and was succeeded by Şükrü Saracoğlu.

Married on this date
Actor Cary Grant and Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton were wed at Lake Arrowhead, California.

War
Russian troops abandoned Staryi Oskol, 100 miles northwest of Kharkov. Japanese forces in China were checked at Fengchang and Changshu in their drive toward Hunan Province.

Abominations
Polish Vice Premier Stanislaw Mikolajcyk read a report to the Polish National Council stating that 3 million Poles and Jews had become victims of the Nazi campaign of extermination in Poland.

Defense
Cuba began training 100,000 men for military service.

Law
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation in New York arrested 72 relatives and associates of teh 29 German-American Bund members arrested the previous day for conspiracy to violate the Selective Service Law and Alien Registration Act.

Labour
American Federation of Labor American Federation of Musicians President James Petrillo announced in New York that the AFM's 140,000 members would not make any records after July 31 in a campaign to force radio stations, bars, and restaurants to employ union musicians.

70 years ago
1947

Diplomacy
The United Nations Palestine Inquiry Commission voted not to visit British internment camps in Cyprus, where 17,000 illegal Jewish immigrants were held.

Politics and government
A court in Washington, D.C. sentenced Communist Party USA Secretary Eugene Dennis to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine for contempt of Congress after he again refused to obey a subpoena from the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities.

Law
Indonesian Republic leaders rejected Dutch demands for a joint Dutch-Indonesian police force during the interim government period preceding Indonesian independence.

Economics and finance
U.K. Lord President of the Council Herbert Morrison warned the House of Commons that Britain faced a 25% reduction in living standards in the absence of Marshall Plan aid.

Argentina lifted all limitations on foreign investment.

Labour
U.S. soft coal mines reverted to private operation as the United Mine Workers of America signed a one-year contract covering most of the industry, with provisions for an eight-hour workday and a 44.4% hourly wage increase.

World events
Reports were broadcast that an unidentified flying object had crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico severl days earlier in what became known as the Roswell UFO incident.

Golf
Bobby Locke won the Tam O'Shanter Open in Chicago.

Baseball
Major League All-Star Game @ Wrigley Field, Chicago
American League 2 @ National League 1

Pinch hitter Stan Spence of the Washington Nationals singled home Bobby Doerr of the Boston Red Sox in the top of the 7th inning to break a 1-1 tie as the AL edged the NL before 41,123 fans.

60 years ago
1957

Hit parade
#1 singles in the U.S.A. (Billboard): (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear/Loving You--Elvis Presley (Best Seller--1st week at #1); Love Letters in the Sand--Pat Boone (Disc Jockey--5th week at #1; Top 100--5th week at #1)

Defense
Chief U.S.S.R. delegate Valerian Zorin rejected Western proposals for a conference of scientists to plan a system of direction and control for the suspension of nuclear weapons tests.

Politics and government
The Irish government proclaimed special powers to detain suspected Irish Republican Army terrorists.

50 years ago
1967

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Kent Music Report): A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum

#1 single in France: A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum (8th week at #1)

#1 single in Italy (FIMI): La mia serenata--Jimmy Fontana

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Puppet on a String--Sandie Shaw (8th week at #1)

#1 single in the Netherlands (De Nederlandse Top 40): A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum (4th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.K. (New Musical Express): A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum (5th week at #1)

#1 single in the U.S.A. (Billboard): Windy--The Association (2nd week at #1)

U.S.A. Top 10 (Cash Box)
1 Windy--The Association (2nd week at #1)
2 Little Bit o' Soul--The Music Explosion
3 Can't Take My Eyes Off You--Frankie Valli
4 San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)--Scott McKenzie
5 Let's Live for Today--The Grass Roots
6 She'd Rather Be with Me--The Turtles
7 Don't Sleep in the Subway--Petula Clark
8 Groovin'--The Young Rascals
9 Come on Down to My Boat--Every Mother's Son
10 Up-Up and Away--The 5th Dimension

Singles entering the chart were A Girl Like You by the Young Rascals (#62); I Like the Way by Tommy James and the Shondells (#66); The Happening by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (#68); To Love Somebody by the Bee Gees (#84); City of Windows by Stephen Monahan (#87); My Mammy by the Happenings (#89); I'll Do it for You by Toussaint McCall (#92); Come Back When You Grow Up by Bobby Vee and the Strangers (#93); Bluebird by Buffalo Springfield (#94); Hey Grandma by Moby Grape (#97); Good Feelin' Time by the Yellow Balloon (#98); Don't Let the Rain Fall Down on Me by the Critters (#99); and Groovy Summertime by the Love Generation (#100).

Canada's Top 10 (RPM)
1 Little Bit o' Soul--The Music Explosion
2 Windy--The Association
3 Come on Down to My Boat--Every Mother's Son
4 Can't Take My Eyes Off You--Frankie Valli
5 San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)--Scott McKenzie
6 She'd Rather Be with Me--The Turtles
7 Up-Up and Away--The 5th Dimension
8 Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead--The Fifth Estate
9 Let's Live for Today--The Grass Roots
10 Alfie--Dionne Warwick

Singles entering the chart were Pictures of Lily by the Who (#71); You were on My Mind by Crispian St. Peters (#78); The Boat that I Row by Lulu (#80); Laborer by the 49th Parallel (#82); Walkin' Mary Home by the Nomads (#85); Give Me Time by Dusty Springfield (#86); Joy by Mitch Ryder (#87); Come Back Girl by Jackie Edmonds (#89); Mr. Pleasant by the Kinks (#91); In the Chapel in the Moonlight by Dean Martin (#92); I Like the Way by Tommy James and the Shondells (#93); Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison (#94); Hypnotized by Linda Jones (#95); Groovy Summertime by the Love Generation (#96); Let the Good Times Roll & Feel So Good by Bunny Sigler (#97); Why Girl by the Precisions (#98); Your Unchanging Love by Marvin Gaye (#99); and Washed Ashore (On a Lonely Island in the Sea) by the Platters (#100). The Boat that I Row, written by Neil Diamond, was a hit single in the United Kingdom, but was released in North America as the B-side of To Sir with Love.

Vancouver's Top 10 (CFUN)
1 A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum
2 Let's Live for Today--The Grass Roots
3 San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)--Scott McKenzie
4 Windy--The Association
5 Don't Sleep in the Subway--Petula Clark
6 Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead--The Fifth Estate
7 Do it Again a Little Bit Slower--Jon & Robin and the In Crowd
8 C'mon Marianne--The 4 Seasons
9 Up-Up and Away--The 5th Dimension
10 Little Bit o' Soul--The Music Explosion

Singles entering the chart were Sunny Goodge Street by Tom Northcott (#44); A Little Bit Hurt by Julian Covey and the Machines (#45); The Greatest Love by Billy Joe Royal (#46); Joy by Mitch Ryder (#47); Soul Dance Number Three by Wilson Pickett (#48); I Take it Back by Sandy Posey (#49); and Good Feelin' Time by the Yellow Balloon (#50).

Vancouver's Top 10 (CKLG)
1 A Whiter Shade of Pale--Procol Harum (2nd week at #1)
2 The Flower Children--Marcia Strassman
3 Let's Live for Today--The Grass Roots
4 San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)--Scott McKenzie
5 Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead--The Fifth Estate
6 Don't Sleep in the Subway--Petula Clark
7 Brown Eyed Girl--Van Morrison
8 Do it Again a Little Bit Slower--Jon & Robin and the In Crowd
9 I was Made to Love Her--Stevie Wonder
10 Soul Finger--The Bar-Kays

Singles entering the chart were Sunny Goodge Street by Tom Northcott (#25); My World Fell Down by Sagittarius (#27); For Your Love by Peaches and Herb (#29); and A Girl Like You by the Young Rascals (#30).

Died on this date
Vivien Leigh, 53. U.K. actress. Miss Leigh, born Vivian Hartley, was a beautiful and talented actress who was best known for her stage performances with Laurence Olivier, to whom she was married from 1940-1960. She won Academy Awards for her starring performances in Gone with the Wind (1939) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), and a Tony Award as Best Actress in a Musical for Tovarich (1963). Miss Leigh suffered for years with emotional problems and tuberculosis, and it was the latter that finally killed her.

Music
The Monkees, with the Jimi Hendrix Experience as an opening act, performed at the Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida.

Track and field
University of Kansas sophomore Jim Ryun ran 3 minutes 33.1 seconds in the men's 1,500 metre run at the British Commonwealth meet at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, defeating Kip Keino of Kenya and breaking the world record of 3:35.6 set in 1960 by Herb Elliott of Australia. Mr. Ryun's record fell to Filbert Bayi of Tanzania in 1974.

40 years ago
1977

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Ain't that Just the Way--Barbi Benton (10th week at #1)

#1 single in West Germany (Media Control): Yes Sir, I Can Boogie--Baccara (2nd week at #1)

#1 single in France: Rockollection--Laurent Voulzy (4th week at #1)

30 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)--Whitney Houston (6th week at #1)

Died on this date
Lionel Chevrier, 84. Canadian politician. Mr. Chevrier, a Liberal, represented the Ontario riding of Stormont in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935-1954 and the Quebec riding of Laurier from 1957-1964. He held several cabinet posts, including Minister of Transport from 1945-1954 and Minister of Justice and Attorney General from 1963-1964. Mr. Chevrier served as Canada's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1964-1967.

Alvin O’Konski, 83. U.S. politician. Mr. O’Konski, a Republican, represented Wisconsin's 10th District in the United States House of Representatives from 1943-1973, and was the co-author of the G.I. Bill of Rights.

Society
Statistics Canada released figures showing more than half of Canada's population was now over 30 years of age.

25 years ago
1992

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Abba-esque (EP)--Erasure (3rd week at #1)

Economics and finance
Russian President Boris Yeltsin addressed the summit in Munich of the world’s seven leading industrialized nations, and the leaders endorsed $1 billion in new aid for Russia.

Football
CFL
Calgary (1-0) 44 @ Saskatchewan (0-1) 26

Doug Flutie completed 23 of 41 passes for 429 yards and 4 touchdowns—2 to running back Keyvan Jenkins, and one each to Allen Pitts and Derrick Crawford—and rushed 4 times for 60 yards to lead the Stampeders past the Roughriders before 20,416 fans at Taylor Field in Regina. Mr. Jenkins, who caught 7 passes for 124 yards, also rushed 9 times for 88 yards and a touchdown. Saskatchewan quarterback Kent Austin completed 39 of 57 passes for 393 yards and 3 touchdowns—2 to Ray Elgaard and 1 to Byron Williams—but also threw 4 interceptions.



20 years ago
1997

Baseball
Major League All-Star Game @ Jacobs Field, Cleveland
National League 1 @ American League 3

Sandy Alomar, Jr. of the hometown Cleveland Indians hit a 2-run home run with 2 out in the bottom of the 7th inning to break a 1-1 tie as the AL defeated the NL before 44,916 fans. Mr. Alomar was named the game's Most Valuable Player.



10 years ago
2007

Died on this date
Chandra Shekhar, 80. Prime Minister of India, 1990-1991. Mr. Shekhar, a socialist who was a member of several political parties, succeeded V.P. Singh as Prime Minister in November 1990, and also held the positions of Minister of Defence and Minister of Home Affairs, resigning all offices in June 1991. He died a week after his 80th birthday.

Football
CFL
Calgary (1-1) 8 @ Saskatchewan (2-0) 49